Railway-gate.



i I. E. FIELDS.

RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION mio MMIII. 1915.

.Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET! ISI-Im f www?,

J. E. FIELDS.

RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I?. 1915. 1,182,667. Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 21 JOSEPH E. FIELDS, OF BRADLEYVILLE, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application 'ined May 17, 1915. serial No. 28,702.

To all whom t may conca/rn Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. FIELps, a citizen of the United States, and a resldent of Bradleyville, in the county of Taney and State of Missouri, have 'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Gates, of which the following is a Specification. l

My invention relates to improvements 1n railway gates, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a Y safety device for the crossing which may be so operated on the approach of a train that the crossing cannot be used.

A further object of my invention 1s to provide a device of the type described in which a safety device i's provided for obstructing the roadway so that the user of the crossing cannot cross the track, but which will `permit him to pass the obstruction if by chance he should be on the track.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings fqrming part of this application in Which\ Figure 1 is a plan view of a track equipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of a portion of the device. Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section along the line 5--5 of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

This invention is designed to be applied to any ordinary railway system. In Fig. 1 I have shownsuch a system having the track rails 1 and 2. At- 3 I have shown a highway crossing. Disposed along the inner edges of the track rails 1 and 2, aremovable members which I have designated in general by 4. These consist of plates having upwardly extending side flanges 4a. The plates are also provided on their under side `with downwardly extending members 8\of substantially U-shaped form as shown in Fig. 4. 'Leaf springs 5 are secured to the ties 6, the springs being'arranged to support the plates 4 normally in an upper position. Secured to the ties are Lshaped brackets 7 through which extend pins 9 (see Fig. 9) oneend of each pin being bent upwardly and secured to the plate 4. A spiral spring 1() is disposed between the brackets 7 and the bent end of the pin. The action of this spring is to keep one end of the plate normally close to the inner edge of the track rail. At the ends of each of the plates 4 is secured a flexible member, such as a wire or cable 11, which will permit a slight vertical movement of the plate and also a lateral movement. The wire or cable, as will be seen from Fig. 4', is secured to the tie.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, the plates 4 are held normally in an inclined position with respect to the track rails 1 and 2. This is accomplished by providing springs 10 at one end of the plate 4 which are strong, while the other springs toward the opposite end of the plate are weaker, so that the normal position of-the plate will be that shown in the figure. It will also be observed that some of the springs including those between the ends of the plates 4 are connected directly to the plates and also to the brackets 7 and do not have the pins 9.

At each side of the track, the crossing 3 is provided with an inclined approach 3, see Fig. 5. At the bottom of this inclined approach is disposed a hinged plate 12 which extends across the highway, this plate being supported upon any suitable material which will prevent the plate from sticking to the material in wet weather. As a further precaution to keep the under surface of the plate 12 in a dry condition, I provide a central supporting member 13 on each side of which are culverts 14 for permitting the passage of water. i

As will be seen from the drawing, there -may be two or more sets of movable plates 4 on each side of the crossing. At a certain `position on the track, I secure the end of a rod or chain. One of these securing members is shown at 15 in Fig. 1. This connects with al chain or cable 1G which passes through the lower portion of the U-shaped members 8, slots being provided for this purpose. In Fig. l, this chain 16 is shown as passing around a pulleyT 17 and being attached to a spring which in turn is attached to a cable or wire 19, the spring and wire being preferably disposed in a conduit 20 (see Fig. 5) and one end of the wire '19 beingsecured to a lever 21 which is pivoted at 22 and whose opposite end bears on the under side of the pglgte 12. It Will be seen from Fig. 1, that at each highway there are four of these levers 21. Thus, if a train is -therefore stop, but even vi approaching in either direction, the plates 12 on each side of the track, will be separated. l

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may bereadily understood. Let us assume that a train 26 is approaching on lthe track from the right hand side of Fig.

1. Normally the parts are in the position shown in Fig andv2, but `when the flange 25 vof the wheel 24 reaches the plate 4, it

willfpushit vdownwardly-Linto the position shown indottd lines in F ig; 4, thereby exerting tension on the chain 16. This tension willbe transmitted .to the spring 18`, and by means of the rod or wire 19, to the lever 21, thereby' causing the raising ofthe plates 12 into @the position shown in .full lines in .Fim 5, the chain 27 servingasa means forlimiting the.mo`vement of the plates. The plates 4 on the opposite side` the track.` If the driver of 'the vehicle" should have passed one vofthe fplates '12 lin crossing thel track, all he needsto doci'sfto. keep on, because the plate 12 on theopposite `side of the track is not kraised sol high'that the horses if driven to it, couldfnot et. over the-obstruction. Furthermore, w en the wheels of the vehicle reach the plate 12 on the oppositeside, they will'press thefl-atter I downwardly, the springs 18 "yielding-to these springs will retract the pl permit the lplate 'to lower, vthus permitting the vehicle to pass. The same isltrue of an automobile or other similar selvfepropelled vehicle. When the vehicle hasgfcr danger position., As many or la"s few of these movable members ,4'.ma. v be employed on a trackas desired, but it. is'adY-is'able to use Aa suflicient number toinszure th-safety Aot the crossing. It will 'be"apparent that they should be near enough together so that thc -front part of the train should reach one part leaves another.

-y Furthermor,` these" members 4 should-"be made of such a length that they vwill extend from the front' wheels of a car to the `rear wheels, so that during the passage of the train, the plate 12 shallvnot drop. Imme-u diately after the train l1'as-pasf,ed,'the .springs 5l force the plates 4 up into their copies of this patent may be obtained for dive cents normal position, thus-V Y 1,2 to resume 1 their .origi'xlila l through the action lof gravity. ow lcon'- sider the action `on the Qopgosite sideof the crossing,- that is toss. ,ifa ",I'ftlie:train has the'platesY ositions -V passed the crossing. twill-"be that the members 4.are1nclinedfoppo'sitelyto the members 4 on the 'righthandl sde'fof'the 7o crossingi; *The` flanges` ofthe wheels now entertbehind the ilangesi4- ofjthefplates `4, and simply push the.

has passed the crossing,v .the plates v`12 Vwill "hot bei affected. If, however,1the train is coming from the left of l}`i"g.`-1, then the flange will Venga e-themembers 4 to push them 'downward y so as vto operate' the plates "12. In Fig-'3 I have shown the nsii- 'ing down ofthe plate 4 by means ofi-aV ange F25 ontherwheel A24, whilein Fig. -9 I have shownfthe flange. Pof the Aplate 1V-being U lates inwardly buit A not downwardly,so Vt at after'the ,train I l pushedfinfwardly s o as 4tofpei'mit thepas-L -sage'offthe flange 25 of the "wheel between f theplate 4 and the rail 22.

'1'. `The combination, with ,a` railway'-r track having acrossing, of` a Ahinged' plate` disposed across the crossingapproachand con#` vof 'stituting a portion thereof, said plate f adapted toA :move so as .to-fpresentian .up-,"1

tnrned'edge to one approaching therailway A rg'tifsir'ig 4the platerinto it'su'pperf acting .position onthe'ipassage of a tra l.named means comprising; disposed.' along the' trackdownwardly fprojecting'gjv lmember fconnected with C sar idly projecting-portions, andaspin if ...810gerative .connection with fsaid crosslng Y structing plate at onevv endiandi-fwiththe said flexible -memberila'ttheother endif. '2.-'1`he combination withl'a lrailway track 'posefl'wrossthe crosmg ortion there n.

"having-ione end in sliding engagementY with Ia. 'pivoted-l arm.

erneathV Said lplate and .110

ysaidvpla`1 te,"said plate being `adapted'to-lbe' moved so'a'sto present an upturnede'dge 'toA fone approaching the railway trackl,..a mow' `able plate disposed along the track rails and'- ihaving downwardly proJecting portions, .Y a

l`flexible member connected with ,said dswn- -wardly projecting.portions` and .spring having operative" con'nectlon'swith said pivoted arm at'one end andwith fiexible vmember l at the-"other end.

'Wtresss'fk ,l

."1 omi., I

- JOSEPH .E. FIELDS.A` Y' l au emmen of hun., 'o 

